"They now hold the steering wheel and are in control of their future," state Superintendent Brian Whiston said of the districts home to the low-performing schools. "We will work together to make sure they stay on course and provide support when and where it is needed."

The primary goals laid out in the agreements center on academics, but other factors that can impact students' ability to succeed are also tackled, such as health, nutrition and behavioral issues.

The primary parties included in the agreements are the local school district, the Michigan Department of Education and the Intermediate School District the local district resides within. Intermediate districts are typically countywide entities that provide services to local districts, such as professional development for teachers.

Each district's progress will be evaluated in 18 months and again in 36 months. If a district is not meeting its goals, the state School Reform Office and MDE "will take actions necessary to ensure the achievement of students in those schools," according to Gov. Rick Snyder's office.

All the agreements have been posted online by MDE except for Muskegon Heights, Saginaw and Pontiac public schools. Included below is a sample of the items included in the partnership agreements of each district except for Saginaw and Pontiac. Officials at those districts were not immediately able to provide copies of the agreements Tuesday afternoon.

Benton Harbor

Three Benton Harbor schools were placed at risk of closure by the state School Reform Office in January: Dream Alternative Academy School of Choice, S.T.E.A.M. at MLK Academy, and International Academy at Hull.

The district's agreement includes specific academic goals for each of the schools. At Dream Academy, for instance, one goal requires students, on average, to increase their reading and math scores on the SAT by 15 points.

At STEAM and MLK, the agreement says "60 percent of students will pass classroom assessments" and the "percent proficient on the M-Step will increase by 30 percentage points."

The agreement also calls on the schools to reduce short- and long-term suspensions. At International Academy at Hull, for instance, short term suspensions are required to drop by 30 percent.

Community partners assisting with the effort include Andrews University, in Berrien Springs, Whirlpool Corporation, Second Baptist Church, Lakeland Hospital and the Boys & Girls Club.

One school in the district -- Martin G. Atkins Elementary School -- was placed at-risk of closure.

Under the agreement, the percent of students who score at or above the threshold for proficiency on the M-Step must improve by 3 percent to 5 percent per year until 2020. The agreement also calls for improvements on an assessment the district provides on its own that measures whether students are showing academic growth.

Another area targeted in the agreement: teacher attendance.

The agreement calls on the district to boost the daily teacher attendance rate to 95 percent or higher by 2020. Last school year, the average attendance rate was 86 percent, according to the agreement.

Community partners assisting with the agreement include the Saginaw Community Foundation, the Institute for Excellence in Education, the Center for Success Network and Creative Synergy.

Twenty-four schools in Michigan's largest city are covered by partnership agreements.

Sixteen of those schools are part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, while the the rest are part of the Education Achievement Authority, a district created in 2011 by Gov. Rick Snyder to turn around the lowest performing schools in Michigan. The EAA is being disbanded and the eight schools are being returned to Detroit public schools this summer.

Under the agreement, the district has until June 30 to develop a profile of each school, showing data on a variety of indicators, including parental involvement, demographic information, poverty and behavioral and social problems of students.

A month later, by July 31, the district is required to set initial improvement goals and strategies for each partnership school. Those objectives, according to the agreement, will include "at least one growth goal and one proficiency goal" so that staff at each building begins the 2017-18 school year with a sense of direction.

Numerous universities, businesses and philanthropic groups also have signed on to help the district as it works to improve. The universities include University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University.

Business and community groups that have signed up to help include General Motors, United Way, Skillman Foundation, DTE Energy and UAW Ford.

The district, located in Eastpointe, a community in Macomb County, had one school among the 38 schools placed at risk of closure: Kelly Middle School.

Under the agreement, the school must -- by the 2019-20 school year -- improve by four percent the number of sixth and seventh graders who reach a score of proficient or above on the M-Step. The agreement also includes objectives for student growth and reading achievement on an assessment the district administers itself.

Another goal in the agreement is "stabilizing the staff" by "finding, identifying, and keeping the talent required to impact student/teacher performance." That includes developing a profiles of what's considered "an effective turnaround teacher, principal, and central office administrator."

Improving instruction is also a goal. The agreement calls on the district to implement a "vision of high-quality, ambitious subject specific instruction to impact student/teacher performance and significantly improve current practice to ensure success for all students."

Two Kalamazoo Public Schools were among the 38 placed at-risk of closure: Washington Writers' Academy and Woodward School for Technology and Research.

The agreement includes various academic improvements.

One includes reducing the gap, by 3 percentage points, between the percentage of students statewide - and the percentage of students at the two schools - who receive a score of proficient on the reading portion of the M-Step. That goal is expected to be reached within 18 months.

Within 36 months, that gap is expected to be reduced by 6 percentage points. That goal is also in place for the math portion of the M-Step.

The agreement also calls on the district to adopt a new K-5 math and writing program, and for staff to receive professional development to improve their ability to use data from student assessments to improve instructional practices.

Several community groups also have agreed to help the district improve the schools. That includes Kalamazoo Community Mental Health, Western Michigan University, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Stones Church and Gryphon Place, a community organization that provides mediation and conflict resolution services to both schools.

Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System has one school among the 38 placed at-risk of closure: Muskegon Heights Academy.

The agreement requires a 15 percentage point increase on the state standardized test by 2020. The school also is required to demonstrate an increase of "1.5 years' growth in reading and math" on an assessment administered by the district.

Improvements in school leadership also are included in the agreement. That, according to the agreement, includes a requirement that "100 percent of administrators and leadership team will score effective on evaluations." In addition, the agreement calls on the district to create a 25 percent increase in the number of students who report they have a voice in the school.

By June 2, the school is required to create an implementation plan to ensure that "all components of the Partnership Agreement are placed into a comprehensive document that delineates the tasks that will be done by year, who is responsible for overseeing each task, and the deadline for completion."

River Rouge, located just outside of Detroit, had one school among the 38 placed at-risk of closure: Ann Visger Preparatory Academy.

Under the partnership agreement, third and fifth graders - by the 2018-19 school year - will increase their proficiency on the reading and math portion of the M-Step by 3 percent. That increase goes up to 5 percent by the 2019-20 school year.

The agreement also calls on the school to reduce suspensions by 10 percent within 36 months, and to develop a "system of network delivery for meeting the non-academic needs of students."

Professional development is also a component of the agreement. That includes additional training on classroom management, the academic curriculum and how to enhance students' social and emotional learning.